ACFB Fund Grant Approval Criteria

ACFB Fund Grant Approval Criteria

General Processes for the ACFB Fund:

The ACFB Fund is intended as a flexible means for helping those who need mental health support to access the support of their choice. Applicants may ask for, and receive, one or more areas of support from the funding streams listed below:

• Individual Therapy (in-person or online)

• Group Therapy (in-person or online)

• ADHD and/or Autism Assessments (online only)

• Therapeutic Clinical Products from the ACFB Store

Applicants to the ACFB Fund will be asked to show need in order to qualify for funding to use the resources and support. They may qualify for the Fund in two ways: a direct referral from approved agencies or self-referral. Referrals from approved agencies will include applications vetted by that agency along with a letter of support for funding.

Funding may be allocated to an individual every 6 months. A re-assessment will be conducted to ensure the need is still present. 

Prior to Application:

If it is possible at this stage to connect the applicant with an identified source of funding via the list above, the ACFB Fund will step in to help make that connection first as there are many charities that offer some form of funding and/or support. It may be the case that another charity can provide more support in the short term.

If a connection is not possible and there is a clear need (the applicant is in crisis and/or there is financial need), the applicant will then be approved for funding via the ACFB Fund. 

Funding for Therapy Identified:

Should the applicant already have a therapist in the ACFB Fund network, the ACFB Fund will approve, at minimum, $300 worth of funding to an approved applicant.

If the applicant does not have a therapist in the network, but does already have a therapist, the therapist would be firstly contacted and offered a chance to be vetted and come into the ACFB Fund network. Should the therapist decline, the applicant would need to select another therapist to be connected with or apply for group therapy/product funding.

Should the applicant be approved but no funds are available, the applicant will be added to the waiting list for funding and be notified when funds are available. Final approval amount of the application will occur once funding has been re-established.

Funding for ADHD and/or Autism Assessment Identified:

If the applicant is seeking help in the form of an assessment from our clinical team, we will assign a co-pay to the applicant for the service. This fee helps to cover the costs associated with the assessments being applied for.

All assessments are done online. If you have any questions about assessments you can find more information here: https://acfbfund.org.nz/our-clinical-psychologist/ 

Applicants may make this request only once due to the nature of the service provided.

Applicants to this program are allowed to make payment plans on this fee however are not allowed to book an appointment prior to this fee being paid in full. At the 50% mark, we will send out questionnaires and observer reports to help speed up the process.

All diagnoses are official and can be used anywhere in NZ. If you’d like to apply for medication management as well, we can make that referral through The Nelson Clinic. There will be an additional charge for this service that can be paid to the clinic directly.

Funding for Group Therapy Identified:

If the applicant is seeking funds for an ACFB Fund sponsored group, the ACFB Fund will cover the cost of 8 weeks of group therapy, at minimum, based on need and the structure of the group. 

Groups running 8 weeks or less on a specific topic will be fully funded. Any sessions the applicant misses during the duration of the group will be paid back to the ACFB Fund at the end of the group.

Ongoing support groups will be funded for up to 10 sessions. These sessions can be used over the course of 6 months and will not be lost if the client does not attend every week, only at the end of the 6 months.

*The ACFB Fund has already taken the cost into consideration upon approving it to the ACFB Fund Sponsored Groups and deems it appropriate for the topic, the materials covered and the level of support that will be provided to group members. Therefore, there is no monetary cap on this support. Applicants may access one group per 6 month application period.

Funding for ACFB Fund Sponsored Clinical Products Identified:

Funds to applicants will be distributed based around the applicant’s stated needs. Some applicants may prefer not to have talk therapy but instead choose to use their funds for ACFB Fund sponsored clinical products. When these products are approved, they will be donated to the applicant fully from A Change for Better and not outside funding sources. 

We acknowledge that this more non-traditional approach is not always seen as the norm. However, we acknowledge that for many, having on-demand access to courses and resource worksheets can help to bridge the gap between when the support is needed and when the support is delivered. Therapists cannot be available all the time although there may be a need for a form for help. A Change for Better will help to fund the resources and courses when requested. 

Applicants to this part of the fund will receive no more than $200 worth of complementary therapeutic products over the course of 6 months. 

Clinically Relevant Products Categories:

All of the categories of products below will be available for an applicant who requests and it granted funding for clinically based products

• Short courses – any video course lasting less than 30 minutes

• Full courses- courses longer than 30 minutes

• Resource Worksheets- developed by therapists as an accompaniment to in-session work

• e-Books

• Physical Books

Following Approval:

Following an applicant being approved for the ACFB Fund, a decision needs to be made around how much funding to give. This is at the discretion of the ACFB Fund Board of Directors.

For applications the ACFB Fund Board of Directors would step in and make the final decision based on need and availability of funds. The ACFB Fund Board of Directors cannot approve any funding above $1,500 at this time, but may mix the funds provided (ie. group and individual therapy or products and individual therapy both funded partially to make up the $1,500).

Renewing an Application after 6 Months:

Once an applicant has been approved by The ACFB Fund, the renewal process is fairly straightforward. The applicant needs to meet the following criteria:

• No significant changes in financial or funding status

• Regular attendance at scheduled appointments

• Did the applicant use all of the resources, groups, and sessions available to them?

To renew, please provide:

• An email from the applicant stating why they are requesting additional funding and what they’ve been able to do with the funding they already received.

• A letter from your therapist confirming your attendance and use of The ACFB Fund products and services.

  • In this letter, please also have your therapist confirm sighting of financials

For any/all questions related to this fund and/or the implementation of funds, please contact info@acgbfund.org.nz